CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wednesday night, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners approved giving nearly $40 million from the American Rescue Plan to 19 different affordable housing projects in the area.
The federal funds will go toward building new affordable units and preserving existing ones.
"We had to make some very tough decisions and these were really good proposals," Michael Bryant with the County Manager's Office told commissioners Wednesday night.
The county received more than 200 eligible applications for funding to support affordable housing projects and the manager’s office narrowed it down to 19.
With the need for affordable housing becoming greater each year, the grants are needed more than ever for local organizations to get to building.
One of the recipients is the Freedom Fighting Missionaries, which plans to build affordable townhomes for a project called Missionary Grove. The organization was granted $1.3 million.
"That gives proof and evidence that those of us that come from grassroot communities can have an impact if we are funded,” creator Kenny Robinson said during the commissioners' meeting.
The grants also include $1.1 million to renovate the LaSalle at Lincoln Heights, which is an affordable senior living facility. Plus more than $5 million will go to DreamKey Partners to build 160 affordable units.
County staff said in total, the grants will fund 536 new affordable units, 29 new single-family homes, and the preservation and renovations of dozens of existing affordable units and homes.
The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously tonight to approve the grants and applauded the manager's office for its work.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.